Now in its 19th terrifying season, Nightmare Factory has returned with a fresh vision and an unrelenting new nightmare. This year, the entire attraction has been reimagined and condensed into a single, focused experience: Undead City. Guests are dropped into the middle of a city block ravaged by chaos and the undead, a place where science, greed, and desperation have fused into one horrifying consequence. The story whispers of Albert Knight and his experiments gone wrong, but within this city, the results of his hubris are unmistakable and unavoidable.
From the moment we stepped into the property, it was clear that Nightmare Factory had funneled every ounce of its creativity and energy into this transformation. The space feels tighter, meaner, and far more immersive than ever before. The sounds of sirens, screams, and chainsaws echo through the streets, while the air itself smells of decay, gasoline, and something acrid that hints at toxic contamination. You’re not simply visiting a haunted house this year, you’re surviving a full-blown outbreak.
Every hour on the hour, a Monster Surge swept through the crowd, zombies roaring to life amid smoke and fire. A fire-wielding ghoul twirled flames dangerously close to onlookers; another time, Scud the Zombie carried Sneaky the Snake, a 50-pound boa who slithered through the flash of camera phones. Later, Scud had a dollar bill stapled directly into his “undead” flesh, followed by a disturbing display where a syringe of “toxic waste” was theatrically injected through his screaming corpse’s mouth. The stage was smaller this year, but the performances felt rawer and more intimate, drawing guests in close to witness the madness firsthand. The proximity made everything feel unpredictable, and the energy was electric.
The cast of Undead City delivered their performances with such intensity that it felt like they’d truly been living in the ruins for weeks. These weren’t actors simply jumping out for a scream; they were monsters locked in a desperate, endless struggle.
Every performer we met was fully committed, feeding off our reactions and adapting instantly to every move or word we gave them. The undead themselves were shockingly aggressive, lunging, crawling, and surrounding us with a kind of hunger that felt dangerously real.
If there was ever a year that showcased just how talented Nightmare Factory’s makeup and costuming teams are, this was it. The zombies of Undead City were disgustingly lifelike: mottled skin, oozing sores, torn uniforms, and cloudy eyes that followed you through the flicker of the emergency lights. Each character looked like they had their own gruesome backstory: townspeople in various scraps of clothing, nurses splattered in the remnants of failed resuscitations, and riot officers whose protective gear had been shredded and gnawed.
The realism carried over into the street performers as well. The fire-breathers and street zombies were covered in grime, sweat, and blackened makeup that glistened in the light of the flames. When Sneaky the Snake made his appearance, the juxtaposition of the glistening reptile and his undead handler was picture-perfect, grotesque, and mesmerizing.
Inside the haunt, this year completely outdoors, attention to detail was extraordinary. Blood patterns, dirt smears, and torn fabrics told their own stories without needing words. Gas masks, military fatigues, and lab coats were all weathered to look authentic. Even the fresh wounds gleamed with a sheen that looked horribly real under the lights and strobes. Every face told a story, and every costume was a piece of the apocalyptic puzzle that made Undead City feel like a living, breathing (and rotting) ecosystem.
As always, the Nightmare Factory team impressed us with their professionalism and enthusiasm. Staff members at the entrance were organized, friendly, and clearly proud of the show they were presenting. Ticketing and security checks moved quickly, with plenty of staff to direct traffic and answer questions.
Even amidst the mayhem, the crew maintained tight control of the crowd. Not a small feat given the fire acts and proximity of the audience to the performers. Safety was clearly a priority, with visible staff and safety officers stationed throughout. Despite the dark tone of the event, the atmosphere remained upbeat and welcoming.
The haunt’s website remains an excellent resource for planning a visit, with detailed information on ticketing, schedule, and accessibility. Signage on-site was easy to follow, and parking, though often busy, was easily handled. The team’s combination of friendliness and operational smoothness ensures that even first-time guests feel like seasoned survivors.
Undead City is a masterclass in environmental storytelling. From the first moment, guests are thrust into a fully realized apocalypse where the boundaries between set and story dissolve. The set design is equally strong. Broken windows reveal flickering lights within; barrels and broken walls line the streets; and graffiti shouts warnings in dripping letters. Lighting is used with surgical precision: flashes of emergency strobes, the dim red of warning lights, and the sickly green glow of toxic contamination all serve to heighten the tension.
The pacing was deliberate, alternating between claustrophobic corridors and open street scenes to create a constant rhythm of anticipation and release. The story of Albert Knight’s serum is woven throughout without needing exposition. The evidence is everywhere, in the chaos and the corpses.
By the time we stumbled out the exit, blinking into the smoke and lights of the Park Lane again, we genuinely felt like survivors crawling out of a ruined city.
The technical craft behind Undead City is extraordinary. The practical effects blend seamlessly with lighting, audio, and atmospheric design to create a sense of total immersion. Exploding sparks, collapsing ceilings, and spurts of compressed air kept us jumping from one crisis to the next. The use of fog and scent was particularly effective: one part reeked of mildew and rot, while another stank of gasoline and smoke.
Nightmare Factory has always excelled at practical effects, and this year’s streamlined layout allows those effects to shine.
21. How scary was it? (35% of score): 8.39
22. How well did they provide scares to everyone in the group? (15% of score): 8.92
23. How predictable were the scares? (25% of score): 8.27
24. How well did they provide a wide variety (types) of scares? (10% of score): 7.66
25. How strong was the ending / finale? (15% of score): 8.45
The scares in Undead City come fast and hard with little room to breathe. The sense of danger never fades, and the unpredictability keeps guests constantly on edge. Zombies come from every angle, from behind broken walls, from dimly lit graveyards, and from every angle surrounding the path. One particularly effective moment had us pass by a survivor being bitten, only to suddenly rise as one of the undead themselves.
Timing is everything here, and the actors have mastered it. Just when you think the scare is done, another comes from an entirely different direction. The blend of jump scares, psychological tension, and chaotic energy makes Undead City an exhausting and thrilling ride.
After 9:00 PM, Nightmare Factory shifts into Rated R Hours, and things get darker. The language becomes harsher, the interactions more aggressive, and there’s a light but deliberate touch component that adds to the intensity. It’s never excessive or inappropriate, but it raises the stakes in a way that feels visceral and real. For seasoned haunt fans, it’s the perfect evolution of fear: raw, bold, and unrelenting.
Between the immersive experience of Undead City and the chaos of the sideshow on the street, Nightmare Factory 2025 offers one of the most complete nights of horror entertainment in North Carolina. While the haunt has streamlined its attractions into a single experience, the result feels richer and more cohesive. Every inch of the property is alive, from the fire-breathing zombies to the bizarre midway antics to the pulse-pounding city streets inside.
This tighter focus allows for a deeper, more cinematic experience that lingers long after you’ve escaped. The smaller stage for the sideshow makes every act feel personal, with fire, smoke, and screams erupting sometimes just inches away. It’s a full-sensory circus of chaos, and every performer commits completely.
The ticket prices remain fair for the scale and quality of production, especially given the hours and craftsmanship poured into every effect. For haunt fans looking for something both thrilling and theatrical (and for anyone who loves a good zombie apocalypse), Nightmare Factory: Undead City is a can’t-miss event.
After nineteen years of terror, this Factory is still running at full power, and this year, it’s producing nightmares faster than ever.
29 Park Lane, Havelock, North Carolina 28532
